‘Dido-on-Sea’? Or ‘Dido and Aeneas go to the Circus’? Whatever construct is put on this conception it will hardly be sufficient to convey just how bizarre it is. Where to start? Well, as is not uncommon in these benighted days, the stage directions are largely ignored.

For long regarded simply as a precursor of the great comic operas of Mozart’s maturity, La finta giardiniera has more recently shown increasing signs of being accepted into the repertoire. Last year’s first-ever staging at Glyndebourne was mirrored across the Channel by this co-production mounted in Lille and Dijon.

This DVD not only features a recital of two alto cantatas by Vivaldi (Cessate omai cessate and Amor hai vinto) and four works for strings by Biagio Marini, but it also includes a guided tour and potted history of the fine palazzo in Vicenza where the recording was made.